#Brodie swtd

[milestonekestrel]

Of the infected, who does Caz interact with the most outside of Soggy Suze?? Seeing as Roy, Brodie and Finlay are late comers to the Soggy party, who else would be there tormenting him until the three eventually join and become soggies too?? Going from that, can The Shape, create hallucinations of Roy, Finlay and Brodie even if they’re still alive by then?? Because we know it can do something like that, seeing as Soggy Suze is here, so can it do the same thing to the trio?? I can imagine the confusion and distress Caz would be in if it can. Like, your getting tormented by your close friends, saying ungodly cruel things to you and about you, only to then run into the real person and having to act like it wasn’t their face just now saying all those things.

hm, he gets a lot of different soggy versions (Gregor, Douglas, Innes, lot of people he's watched die, really), but none are as effective or constant as Suze, until the end, of course, when he gets Roy, Brodie, and Finlay.

But, I think another notable person would be soggy Cait and Maidie. They aren't always there, not like soggy Suze, but when the shape shows him his soggy daughters for the first time, well.. he's lucky Roy is there to keep him steady. Something so terrible about it, beyond the emotional manipulation, even. its that they can even exist. that his girls can be here, looking at him with such dead eyes. that the shape can use them against him, that the shape can pluck them from his memory and use them to try and kill him.

they're just kids.. his kids.. they're his girls..

also! yeah, technically I think it could! It can make a soggy version of anyone, it just typically goes for dead or not present people because the illusion is harder to break. and the guilt is usually easier to prey on in those cases. BUT! I did have a thought that, while Roy was trying to get to the cabin, the shape is trying to trick him into giving up via making him think Caz is dead. and Caz, maybe when he's going back through accommodation to find Roy, gets pre-death soggy Roy, Finlay and/or Brodie, in another bid to trick him into thinking people are dead and hopefully make him give up.

of course, Roy actually does end up dead, when he gets there. and then Brodie's phone call. but he will see Finlay again! ...briefly.

I do like them, when they're alone, getting told off by soggy versions of still living people. Caz is getting ripped a new one by non-dead soggy Finlay and then he finds the real one and, involuntarily, flinches away from her. they all get these moments, the shape is trying to kill them, after all. single them out. get them alone and miserable enough to give up, or unlucky enough to be killed.

[beauisoffline]

swtd headcannons!!

Caz is a complete emotional drunk. Suze once even found him hugging a cabinet, swearing he wouldn’t leave it alone ever again.

Roy always used to bake with his aunt when he was little. The baking turned gears to cooking after Roy’s diabetes diagnosis.

Finlays son is in his late 20’s/early 30’s, and is in the Air Force.

Rennick actually has 3 grandchildren.

Caz used to run track (mostly hurdles) in school before he went to boxing, hence why he’s so fast, and can vault/jump over things with ease.

(May not be a headcannon) Raffs is an apprentice under Brodie supervision.

In the beginning of Raffs apprenticeship, he actually didn’t trust Brodie a lot, leading to Brodie promising he’d look after him.

The crew (besides Trots, McLurg, and Rennick) has all secretly created a Addair hate club. Surprisingly (maybe not), Sunil is the original creator of the club.

Muir really enjoys the beach, and tends to walk around finding shells, and ironically, hermit crabs.

O’Connor is a cat guy, and has 2 tuxedo cats back on the mainland he named Houdini and Shela.

Bruce loves sharks. He doesn’t really tell anyone else or else he will yap their ear off.

Finlay avoids the smell of onions like the black plague. She’ll only tolerate the smell if they are cooked in any way to minimize the stench.

Alex answers almost any question about his action with “your mom” when he’s with Sunil

Sunils mother died when he was 3 from a lung infection he has yet to know what caused it in the first place.

Innes tried to dye his hair red with a drink mix he found, accidentally staining his hands and forehead red for at least a week.

During said week- Muir refused to hold were Innes held, as it felt oddly sticky because of the juice packet.

ask for any specific characters for headcannons!!

[j6e-y]

mspaint doodles of TRAGIC OLD GAY MEN!!!! cannot stop thinking about them theyre so sad

[beebear55]

still wakes the deep au posting lets get it

ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE, BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY

basically they drill like normal and head back to the mainland only to find everything is shit and theres ghoulies. oh no

and now doodles/relationships jeje

brodie/raffs stick together 24/7. brodie does not allow raffs to go on scouting/scavenging missions without him, raffs doesnt wanna go on those missions At All. But alas

Also brodie is not the greatest at protecting him

Innes and Muir are. Having suchh a time. theyre both also always together because nobody wants to seperate them (they both have one half of a brain cell and dont function without eachother) and theyre just “DUDE DID YOU SEE THAT” “SEE WHAT” 24/7

trots is in charge of organizing the missions bc nobody trusts rennick and addair to not send the people they dont like (caz) to die. Trots accidentally keeps sending gibbo on every other mission

finlay is the first person to kill a zombie. She picks up a big hunk of Pipe and starts bashing bitches. She then replaces it with a bat she wraps in barbed wire. She’s great. Also gives herself a lil buzz and will not beat the butch allegations about it

Addair is having the worst time because Nobody likes him and he fears they will just leave him to die about that. They wont but he has very low standards for them so. Also everytime he gets upset he “leaves” for 5 minutes and then runs back in and goes “IM JUST AN OLD MAAANN DONT LEAVE ME TO DIE PLEASE” nobody is amused

Rennick is constantly upset about no longer being In Charge and Roper likes bothering him about it. Rennick keeps going “well I THINK—“ and roper goes “who? Asked you”

Alex, Sunil and Davros are on the night watch since its safer than going on missions. sunil is terrified and alex and davros are nonchalant as hell. Also nobody is Actually watching (which spells disaster)

Caz and Roy both have lots of braincells but get nothing done together. They cancel eachother out. Sorry.

Caz makes sure they raid a bunch of hospitals for insulin and threatens anyone who suggests leaving roy behind <3 and roy rations/makes the food obviously

Scooby and Caz are also A Duo to me. Scooby and Caz were both into zombie rpgs/shooters when they were younger and they are not taking this apocalypse as seriously as they should about it

IIII AM CRINGE AND IM FREEE

[randomhedgie]

More SWTD Second Chance AU Thoughts!

Obviously, the crew can't just all stop working on the rig (despite no one but Caz being ok to work), so characters like Finlay, Addair, and Gibbo have to work, or else the rig would break down.

Roper threatens to throw anyone who tries to start the drill overboard. Brodie threatens to do the same to anyone that mentions Raffs going in the dive bell.

The crew is fairly divided on whether or not to tell Caz about what happened 'yesterday'. One side thinks he went through enough for them all, and it would be kinder to let him live in ignorance. The other side wants to tell him to see if it'll jog his memory so he can tell them what the hell he did to restart the day.

(The answer would be nothing. He'd be as confused as everyone else.)

After the day shift ends, there's a long line of people at the radio room waiting to call their loved ones. Gibbo is the first one there.

The crewmates' memories of 'yesterday' end at their deaths, so Innes has no idea about the chopper crashing or Rennick turning (or Muir carrying him around for hours).

But most people remember how hard Caz tried to save them all. O'Connor and Trots both remember vividly how Caz apologized for not being able to help them.

Once Trots is finished with his panic attack, he goes to the radio room to start calling in every favor he has with the NSOWU to get the Beira decommissioned.

The darts finale is postponed until further notice.

[sukipershipper]

drew a quick Raffs for the road! night ya'll!

[jaspalicous]

hello guys i still like swtd….MORE BRODIE AND RAFFS CONTENT!!!!!!!!!

[marythekumquat]

Cheese??

THERE. YOU SEE WHAT YOU DID, ANON. YOU SEE WHAT YOUVE DONE TO THEIR POOR PRE-BOOMER BRAINS!? This is exactly how people in the seventies would react to this kind of shit. I’m just a millennial-gen z cusp who doesn’t understand this stuff.

I couldn’t fit O’Connor and Gibbo in but that’s GOOD. They don’t need to see this.

It was the music that made the video unbearable to me.

[milestonekestrel]

STILL WAKES THE DEEPERS COME GET YOUR DINNER!!!

[BODY HORROR AND FLASHING WARNING]

Thoughts under the cut (it gets lengthy)!

So.. we´re finally here huh? Took me a little over a week, but its done at last!

I´ll be honest, the idea first came to me when I listened to the song. I was brainrotting so bad on Still Wakes the Deep, I think I could´ve twisted anything into being about it haha. But this song actually fits it super well. ¨You lose touch with all the things that made you feel sane.¨ fits especially well with Caz, as everything that sort of grounds him on the rig during the shape infestation, the things that make him feel sane (mostly his friends) are all things he loses. In many cases, right in front of him. He also loses his family, as he realizes hes never going to get back to them, and, at the end, he loses himself too.

I tried to draw Caz´s hair progressively worse as his mental and physical state do. At his very best, particularly in the flashbacks at the end, his hair is shaped very specifically. But the more he goes through, the worse it gets, until at the very end where its just a tangled mess. Also his emotions, obviously towards the end he is still super emotional and stuff but I had hoped to sort of make it more...subdued? Maybe that´s not the right word, but he´s been through so much that his reactions aren´t as big to things, he doesn´t quite have the enough energy. He still Goes Through It with Finlay, but after that he´s giving you a constant 5000 yard stare. The, ¨I just watched every single one of my closest friends die in front of me¨ look.¨

Even when he gets to the derrick, he can only stare at the shape abyss.

He´s also in terrible physical condition and I tried to illustrate that with the scene of him standing up after Finlay dies. He is literally on his last legs, he is so, so tired.

also!! three flashy sequences in very quick succession at the end! do you know why? because Caz starts to See. The first, after Brodie dies, is a bunch of unique images about Caz. The people, things, and parts of himself that he is losing or has lost. Accompanied by other things, parts of himself, his life, etc.

There´s also these two images of Muir and Innes that I love very much.

The second one happens as he holds the lighter above the oil abyss! This ones just people he lost. And the third is everything that happened in the pmv flashing before his eyes. Because it is Quite a journey he has been on.

But you know why these flash? because Caz realizes that every step he is taking is one step closer to his death. Because he realizes that he is never going to get off the rig. because he realizes that he is going to die here. So hes thinking about Everything. His life, his family, friends, the horrors he went through, the things he lost and the things he will never, ever get back.

He also hallucinates Suze a lot in the pmv, but unlike in the game its not flashback sequences and she is not normal Suze. Until the end, when he´s reflecting on his life, its Suze With Tendrils!! Shape infected wife!!

and then at the end, she becomes more normal. Because he is flashing through the events of his life. also because he misses her, but he knows that by doing what he is doing, Shape Suze will never, ever exist. She will be safe.

I had a fun time drawing all the scenes in the pmv, but a select few are my favorite.

For example: The Beira D Bookends!

At the beginning and the end of the pmv, you get a full shot of the Beira D!

I like these scenes because I love having secret things like this. The bookends,,, ough do u guys get it they´re bookends... The Beira D is where it all takes place, in the game, and in the pmv. It is the first and last thing you see as Caz, and the first and last thing he sees in the 24 hours this takes place in. It is a very significant location, which is why it bookends the pmv.

Addair and Caz at the Stack:

Getting to animate this whole sequence was a blast. It´s my absolute favorite part of the game! Followed closely by the ending, but still my most favorite. I just think its a really cool part of the game, and it plays a lot into my Addair headcanons so!!! pretty sick!!

Caz´s Memories:

After he drops the lighter, Caz and his family are shown again. You can see him and Suze reconnecting (as well as the fact that I yoinked @inky-ash´s headcanon about them meeting up after he got punched in the face). He also plays with a young Cait. and drawing the hug between them just about made my eyes misty, because he really loves his family,,,, auuuughh,,,

also. the wedding photo.

I didnt really try with their outfits honestly, but I still really love how this came out. the wedding photo means so much to me...

The Lighter:

a little extra bit about the lighter. I drew when it was handed to Finlay, and when she handed it back to Caz. There´s no real scene parellells between these scenes, but I do really love them, and the whole fact that the Lighter was originally given to Finlay before she gave it back to Caz.

The Scene That Is Most Definitely Not A Reference:

Just kidding. it is.

The pose and composition is indeed a self-indulgent reference to the first artwork I made of Still Wakes The Deep!

Sinking:

The first time you see Caz in the pmv? He´s unconscious in the ocean, and sinking.

and the last time you see him? Unconcious, in an ocean, and sinking.

boy I sure do love parallels and things.

The Helmet:

at the very end, his helmet appears in the waves, before sinking below the surface. This is another self-indulgent little detail that serves as a nod to my headcanon!

I also just generally enjoyed drawing Caz and his facial expressions. That man means so much to me, so it was awesome to draw him so much!

also, I think its funny you can tell exactly when I figured out what the Cadal logo looks like, or that there even was a logo on the uniforms.

If you watched the pmv, or read this far, thank you so much!! This game means so much to me, and I´m so glad I could make this pmv. I love all the support this fandom has given me so far, so thank you! Thank you so much! Couldn´t have done this without such an awesome fandom <333

[finlay-papers]

Genuinely euthanize me.

[beauisoffline]

inncorect quotes! (still wakes the deep edition pt. 1 maybe??)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunil as a child: I can’t wait to grow up and have cool adventures! Sunil now: I can’t wait to go to bed.

------------------------

Caz: Remember that time you dared me to lick a swingset? O'Conner: No, I said "Caz, don't lick that swingset" and you said "Don't tell me what to do" and licked the swingset.

------------------------

Finlay: How petty can you get? Rennick: I once edited a Wikipedia article to win an argument I was wrong about.

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Gibbo: Hey, how did my phone break? Trots: You were drunk yesterday. Gibbo: And? Rennick: You threw it. Gibbo: Why? Raffs: You turned on airplane mode and kept screaming “FLY DAMN YOU!” Gibbo: And why didn’t you stop me?! Caz: We were busy laughing our asses off.

------------------------

Caz: My heart is guarded but like… very poorly. The kind of guards that would let 3 kids in a trench coat into an R rated movie.

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Roy: I have an idea. Suze: A good idea? Roy: Let's not get ahead of ourselves.

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Finlay: Ladies, gentlemen and Rennick, I want to show you the greatest thing your eyes have ever beheld! Roy: A llama? Finlay: No. Roy: A baby llama? Finlay: No! Roy: A baby llama with a little hat on? Finlay: NO!

------------------------

Brodie: You look like a corpse that was just pulled out of the river. Caz: Wrong. I look like a cool rock star who just OD'd in their own pool. Big difference.

------------------------

Innes: Hey, random question, what are your favorite flowers? Muir: Peonies, why? Innes: Muir: Were you going to get me flowers? Innes: Muir: Innes: ᶦᵗ’ˢ ᵃ ᵖᵒˢˢᶦᵇᶦˡᶦᵗʸ

[zeondraws]

Had another recording day today, I noticed a lot of new things from other characters again

The most saddest thing I wanted to share are a bunch of O'Conner voicelines people usually miss. (You have to lurk nearby after he attacks you). I might recheck the area again and find a way to listen more closely, but I firstly have to focus on my Muir clips.

I must warn you all, these voicelines from O'Conner are really sad, even if I played this game for 77h now, listening to those is just heartbreaking.

Shared it on discord for @sukipershipper

And another bit I wanted to mention was, I checked up on Roper again, just to record marine control. Figured to look around for details and noticed that-

They put Raffs on him- Now for those that have not seen a closeup of mutated Raffs, here:

Not only are Raffetys faces on him, Roper has like... 10-11 heads. I looked around his entire mutated form and found SO MANY HEADS OH GOD

I- ????

WHat happend to beloved Roper oh my goodness.

Random side note, did you guys know that Muir has 10 additional howls in the evening? It's the same ones you hear in the morning, but they sound slightly different, or rather more sad.

Either way, I have to go to bed now, but I want to thank those people who left the sweet comments on yesterdays painting. Made me feel very happy, I struggle to express my graditude but thank you. Feeling better today, so I hope things will be alright.

Have some fun screenshots of Brodie and Roy:

See y'all later this week, oh and someone help me with Muir, he is doing weird yoga again-

[glassandhamsandwich]

Raffs execution.

What's your problem man why do you want him dead so bad 😭😭😭😭😭😭

Extra Brodie ☝️😼

Figuring out how I'm going to draw the Cadal uniforms too 💪

[videogamesincolor]

Brodie and the role of determination in "Still Wakes the Deep"

From the start, Still Wakes the Deep depicts Brodie as one of the more clear-headed characters after the Beria D is, effectively, attacked by the entity. Granted, if you're working on an oil rig, you (probably) have to be a certain person to work under high-stress conditions. As the apparent diver on the Beria (and senior figure, after Roper, Innes, Trots, Finlay, and Rennick) Brodie is probably accustomed to working under pressure (literally and figuratively).

Brodie operates under the pretense of what my former supervisor called, "positive reinforcement". Highlight a person's strengths, and address their weaknesses as "areas for improvement". Hence why he gets annoyed with Caz when he heightens Rafferty's anxieties about going down in the diving bell with his own personal fears.

Folks like Douglas and Rafferty look to him to know what to do, so Brodie takes it as a personal failing when someone is harmed under his charge. When Gregor and Caz fall into the water, he's the one who goes in after them. And given the height both fell from, by the time he was prepared to dive, he shouldn't have been able to find either, but he gets lucky with Caz.

Of the survivors, Brodie is together enough to send Finlay down to restart the generators as they're cutting out and sends Caz to reach the surviving radios (initially). Even when preoccupied with another situation, Brodie was forward-thinking enough to consider mitigating the broader damage on the Rig.

When a panicky Caz, probably to his surprise, completes what he sent Finlay to do, he reorients Caz (by hyping him up a little) and asks him to help with tension wenches in the Pontoons. Whatever reservations he might have about Caz's anxieties, Brodie appreciates that he's willing to throw himself into certain danger to help.

Brodie's determination to save the Rig, perhaps to save themselves (because there was no way to physically leave the rig without transportation) was such a gripping story beat to watch play out between himself and Finlay.

Way before Caz gets himself out of the pontoons and encounters a mutated O'Connor, they're talking to (or at) each other in notes. Brodie operates like the situation is another high-stakes circumstance that he (as a diver) must be accustomed to. Process of elimination.

He is pushing to save the Rig, but only long enough for rescue. But his initial plans fail. The surviving radios don't work, so they can't reach the support ship. Most of the Rig is collapsing and flooding from the damage. Stabilizing the tension wenches leaves the Rig vulnerable to sinking. The tone of Finlay's notes suggests they should focus more on leaving the Rig altogether, instead of hailing the support ship. (Again, the issue with that being, of course, that there's nothing sea-worthy left on the Rig to even float on.)

And she's already speculating at the entity's intentions after seeing so many of their coworkers die, transform, or become gore on the walls. Brodie, however, isn't particularly curious about the entity beyond seeing it as an (environmental) obstacle. Stabilizing the flare stack prevents explosion, but he initially believes it was at the expense of Caz's life.

Brodie could be motivated by what happened to Raffs in the diving bell. I can't imagine seeing someone under your charge explode into a hostile lump of tentacles and inhumanity would leave you anything but determined to save as many people as you can, bad odds be damned.

And in that dynamic, the person delaying what's inevitable really can't stop the person who's decided about what they'll do. And, for me, that's interesting, as Brodie and Finlay were both kinda positioned in the story to be 'dependable' and 'pragmatic' in the face of terror.

Both of them try to sway Caz from going after Roy, but relent, knowing he won't be any good to them with his mind elsewhere except in the priority situation (the tension wenches).

(One of the last bits of advice he gives to Caz when they're face-to-face is to make his every move count, and not panic when he goes underwater.)

In most circumstances, I would've expected Finlay and Brodie's roles to be reversed. So, that Finlay was the one to just accept that they were all doomed after a certain point, was nice.

Brodie's willingness to venture into certain danger and death ultimately seals fates and is catalyst enough to push Finlay to do what she'd been thinking about since their exchanges. Caz is convinced of Brodie's own "jamminess", that he believes he can get out of the oil-flooded pontoon to return to them, and if he can't, he has him to rely on. Brodie knows otherwise, and, so, home (Isle of Skye) is the last thing he thinks of before imploring the others to escape.

I don't know if the Isle of Skye is considered a "harbor town", but Brodie's apparent comfort in and underwater struck me as a connection to his home. That he dies, drowning in oil, feels like a cruel irony of circumstances.

On a more personal level, given that Scottish / English / Irish narratives trend towards whiteness (and are often loaded with weird "racial purity" undertones), I wasn't expecting Still Wakes the Deep to have any significant characters of color in the game. That Brodie is the only Black character in the game with a major speaking and narrative role within the narrative (and voiced by a Black actor, thankfully) is a double-edged sword.

It's a) par for the course (and disappointing), but also b) nice to see a predominantly white narrative acknowledge Black Scotsmen exist. Sunil (Scottish) and Dobbie (Irish) are two other Black/Brown characters with lines, but they're minor characters (both killed by a mutated Muir on the Derrick).

Throughout the multiple playthroughs I've watched since SWTD was released, I've always found it extremely baffling that most (white) players assumed malice on Brodie's part when he's surprised to see Caz survive the collapse of the skywalk connecting to the stack.

He's clearly relieved to see his friend alive, but most were like, "Was he trying to kill Caz?" And it's like, how the hell did y'all come to that conclusion?

And if I were to speculate about the entity's intentions, it wouldn't be much interested in going anywhere except back down below. The potential threat that was the Rig, is no longer a danger to its existence. Hence why everything it pulled apart and invaded, was gradually sinking under the water.

[rubus-yunnion]

Okay, last one by me, I promise! Infected by Oil Raffs, please?

I love the oil designs I couldn't help myself

[protoaxol]

Still Wakes the Deep: Infected By Shrooms

Rating:

Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warnings:

Graphic Depictions of Violence

Major Character Death

Category:

Gen

Fandom:

Still Wakes the Deep (Video Game)

Relationships:

Ewan Muir & Terry Innes

Brodie & Raffs

Boyd & Mclurg

Characters:

Brodie (Still Wakes the Deep)

Raffs (Still Wakes the Deep)

Gibbo (Still Wakes the Deep)

I. "Trots" Campbell

Boyd (Still Wakes the Deep)

Mclurg (Still Wakes the Deep)

Muir (Still Wakes the Deep)

Innes (Still Wakes the Deep)

Alex (Still Wakes the Deep)

Roper (Still Wakes the Deep)

Cameron "Caz" McLeary

Finlay (Still Wakes the Deep)

Davey Rennick

Addair (Still Wakes the Deep)

Additional Tags:

Hurt No Comfort

Body Horror

Vomiting

Infection

Hallucinations

American Writing Scottish Accents

Loss of Control

Drugs

Language: English | Words: 2,563

Summary:

The thoughts of all the infected little men throughout the story from start to end blah blah blah

Notes:

I cried writing this. Probably shouldn't read this if you have a soft stomach. Also, sorry Raffs. For this starting out as a parody, I think i got carried away with this one. But I swear the next one will be better. This is also my very first fanfic, so let me know if I suck

This is a parody of @silebee-draws's "Joining the Choir". Please go check that out if you haven't already, it's genuinely amazing.

Chapter 1: Raffs

Raffs had felt it when everything went to shit. Everything seemed to be going almost perfectly. Each step was planned carefully and executed with precision.  He was feeling a lot better than he had earlier. The nervousness that plagued Raffs’ body earlier had almost completely faded away. He felt confident, brave, and he was proud of himself. 

But then the entire world lurched around him. Raffs was thrown from the bell, and his tools were knocked right out of his hands. His vision was suddenly covered in colorful, oily bubbles. His head felt light, and it hurt like hell. His ears were ringing, but he could hear a faint rumbling coming from above.

Raffs immediately stopped what he was doing and swam towards the dive bell as fast as humanly possible. As he got closer to the dive bell, his body felt weaker with each passing second. He could hear Brodie’s voice. He was telling him to stay calm, not to panic. Raffs’ head was pounding. His view was slowly being obscured by more colors and images of his mother and Brodie.

Thinking about them made him feel better, made him feel like he could just let go. He saw Brodie, sitting next to him on the couch in the crew lounge. They sat laughing, telling jokes and drinking hot chocolate.

Focus, Raffs. 

He kept pushing on. The dive bell was only a few feet away from him, but to him it felt like it was miles away. He was almost there.. Almost…. There… 

His eyelids were feeling increasingly heavier. He couldn’t give up now. God, his head was splitting. It hurt so much.

“Raffs, you got this mate. I’m here for you, alright?”

Everything moved again, and Raffs was slammed into the bell, hurting his arm. He yelped in pain, and snapped back to reality. Now, with the remaining adrenaline he had, he pulled the hatch open with incredible force, and almost ripped it right off the dive bell. 

He pulled himself inside and slammed the hatch behind him, sealing it shut. He pulled off the mask and threw it on the floor. Finally, he was safe. He still felt weak, but his vision was clearing up. He sat down on the seat and put his hand on his head. It hurt so bad. He just wanted it to stop. As Raffs collected himself, he noticed something in the corner of his eye.

Something colorful. Something.. Beautiful.

From the edges of the hatch, there was a colorful, shiny substance growing. It creeped along the walls, climbed the ceiling, and covered everything it touched. Raffs backed up against the wall as far as he could from.. That.. That thing…

As it creeped closer to the diver, it shined brightly, putting him in a trance. It was so pretty, he couldn’t stop looking at it. He could hear Brodie’s voice again. 

“Raffs, I’ve got ye, alright. You’ll make a great diver, I promise.” 

And then it stopped growing. It had covered almost a third of the bell in colorful mold. Raffs let out a sigh of relief. However, the moment only lasted for a few seconds, because he noticed something else growing out of the biomass. Small white shapes poked out of the shape. Raffs moved a bit closer, trying to figure out what it was. He could still see, but images of Brodie and his mom obscured his peripherals. 

Then he finally saw what the white things were.

They looked like… Mushrooms? 

As Raffs stared at them, he felt a sense of euphoria. He felt good. His headache was fading, and it felt like his brain was being flooded with a good feeling. He wanted to get closer. He wanted to touch it. He wanted to be part of it. Without him even realizing, his left arm lifted, extending in front of him. He raised his hand up to the mushroom. He felt so good. Then he laid his hand on the fuzzy mushroom, stroking it softly.

And then it exploded. 

A white cloud of spores engulfed the entire interior of the bell, covering Raffs head to toe in a thin layer of white fluff. It filled his mouth and nose, and went right into his eyes. It tasted absolutely foul. He sat there for a second, trying to process what had just happened. It caught him by surprise. Then it registered that he was in pain.

“Agh! AAAGH!!! OH GOD, HELP ME!!! AAGGHHH!!! 

He fell back, coughing and choking as he struggled to move. He felt it filling his lungs, getting into his blood, flooding his entire body. Everything burned. He boked all over the floor, vomiting a white mushy mass that hit the floor with a sickening squelch! God, it hurt, it hurt so bad. His left arm ached, yet felt numb at the same time. It felt like something was crawling under his skin, getting ready to burst out at any moment. Brodie was up there, right? He was going to save him..

..Right?

“HELP ME HELP ME!!! AAAGGGHHH!!! IT HURTS, HEEEELP!! 

Raffs thrashed around, slamming himself into the walls in an attempt to alleviate the pain he felt all around his body. He saw images of family and friends flashing too fast for him to comprehend. He could hear Brodie, reassuring him that it would all be okay, that it would be over quickly. He felt so light, yet so strong at the same time. In the craze, he didn’t even notice that the pain was slowly fading away. 

His hands were getting bloody now. With each and every punch he felt stronger and stronger, eventually with enough force to dent the inner walls and destroy the equipment. 

“Calm down lad, it’s going to be alright, I’ve got ye.”

“BRODIE!!! BROOODDIEEE WHERE ARE YOU!! HELP ME!!!

“Shshshshshsh.. Calm down, laddie. I’m here.”

His entire body felt numb at this point, even while he started throwing himself against the portholes and hatch. For a brief moment, the bubbles in his vision moved aside just enough for him to make out the fact that the bell was now above water. But Raffs didn’t care. He wanted Brodie. He NEEDED Brodie! Why was he no helping! 

Eventually, the bell finally lurched to a stop, slamming against the brakes. Raffs was thrown to the floor, and wailed in pain. Then he heard a voice, a voice there for him, to help him, it would be okay, it would all be okay, Raffs. But this time he could tell the voice was real, just outside of the bell.

“Raffs! It’s Brodie! I’m here!”

“BRODIE HELP ME! GET ME OUT!! GET ME OOOUUUT!!! I FEEL WEIRD, BRODIE!”

Regardless, he continued to throw himself against the bell anyways. As he did that, he got another glance at the stuff on the wall. That stuff… That’s the weird shite that caused all of this! It’s that thing’s fault, not his! 

He lunged forward, almost running headfirst into the rainbow flesh. It needed to pay for this, for what it had done to Raffs. Everything was perfect, it was so perfect and good, and everything was going so well..!

Raffs began tearing at the flesh like a rabid animal. Pieces of shredded flesh flew everywhere as an oily substance splattered all over the walls and all over Raffs. 

He didn’t stop, he just kept going. He wasn’t going to stop until there was nothing left of the biomass. He kept shredding it until there was nothing left of the mass, all that remained were some small chunks of mold, viscera, and oil covering the walls.

Then Raffs’ head snapped back towards the hatch. Out. Get out. He threw himself into the hatch and desperately tried to open it. He tried everything to open it, but it was stuck fast. He was screaming, sobbing, and crying as he tried to tear it off the hinges. He needed someone to help him, he just wished someone was there for him. That’s when he heard voices from outside the bell having a conversation. Raffs listened to the conversation as he began trying to tear through the walls. 

“Wh.. goi.. on Brodie, wh……. happened?

Raffs could just barely make out what they were saying. The voice on the other side sounded familiar, though, as if it was someone who he had just spoken to earlier. 

“I don’t… right? The dr…. something.. gas explosion..”

They were just outside of the bell. Just outside of reach. Yet it felt like they didn’t even notice him, as if they didn’t even care. Those fucking BASTARDS! He yelled and screamed in anger and pain, trying to catch their attention, but to no avail. But then someone finally noticed, it was Brodie. Brodie!

“Raffs, I’m here! I’m going to get you out, alright? I’ve got ye!” 

BRODIE! Where was he, that bastard? Fucking Brodie, he abandoned him, he left him to rot. He left him to die out there. He never cared about Raffs. The diver continued slamming against the bell, doing anything to get out there to Brodie. He tried to shout insults at Brodie, but all that came out was gibberish to brodie.

“B-BrodIEEEE!! DON’t Do thiS TO MEEE!!!!”

Raffs lunged against the hatch one more time, and finally it broke. Shrapnel flew everywhere as the door was dislodged. When the hatch flew open and slammed against the bell, Brodie could finally hear and see Raffs clear as day.

“Brodie…!! WHY!!?? Don’t leave me, PLEASE!!!”

“F-Fuck.. Raffs?” Brodie stammered. His voice cracked as he tried to swallow. He couldn’t believe what he saw.

“Yo-You said you would BE THERE FOR ME!!!”

Raffs clawed against the opening of the dive bell, trying to pull himself out, and ignoring all of the other pain he felt. His skin and flesh tore against the hatch, but he kept going. He needed Brodie. 

“Raffs.. Oh man..” Brodie said as he stared on in horror. Blood poured down Raffs’ face, filling his nostrils, burning his eyes, and clogging his throat. His entire dive suit was completely destroyed, shredded and beaten.

He was covered all over in blood and small mushrooms. His left shoulder and arm looked like it had completely exploded with fungi, small mushrooms and veins covering his neck and back. His entire lower half was completely gone, replaced with a large mass of flesh, fungus, and viscera. 

It was horrible. How could he have let this happen to Raffs..?

“B-Brooodiieee… Whats.. Happening? 

“God almighty.. Fuck..” Brodie took a step back. He closed his eyes and swallowed, trying to not break down in front of the lad. Raffs made his way out of the bell and fell down onto the deck, groaning in pain and sobbing. He trailed blood and a rank brown liquid behind him as he pulled himself closer to Brodie. 

Why was Brodie moving away from him? Didn’t he want to help him! He wanted to help, right? He was going to help him!! Now!!! His arm was weakened. He couldn’t move any farther. What had become of him? Raffs broke down sobbing, choking and coughing while tears flowed down to his cheeks and onto his chest. 

“Brodie.. P-Please!!” Raffs said, coughing up blood and groaning in pain. Brodie fought hard to not start sobbing along with the lad, and Raffs could tell. Brodie didn’t want to make Raffs feel worse. He wanted to be a role model, someone who he could always look up to and trust. But he knew he couldn’t fight forever. He took a deep breath and kneeled down to Raffs. 

“Shsh… It’s okay, Owen.. I’m not going to leave ya.”

Raffs whimpered in pain, and what started as a small whimper turned into a loud, ear piercing wail. Brodie’s heart shattered at the sound, and his eyes teared up. He wiped away the tears, and sniffled. Raffs extended his arm up to Brodie, as if begging for mercy.

Brodie wanted to talk, but his throat was shut. He couldn’t speak. 

He put his hand in Raffs’ hand. “Look, Raffs. I.. I-I’m going to help you, alright? I.. I’m here..” He swallowed. “I’ll go get help, alright? I’ll come back, lad.”

Raffs looked up at Brodie with crying eyes. “You promise..?”

“Of course, I wouldn’t ever abandon you, alright? I love you, Owen.”

Raffs tried to form a smile, but he couldn’t. Brodie could tell he at least tried, though. He stood up, and made his way to the ladder. 

“Bye, Brodie..” Raffs said. His voice was raspy, and he was losing control of his vocal cords. Brodie was just close enough to hear him say that. He made his way up the ladder, and turned to Raffs just one last time. Raffs could barely lift his arm anymore, at most a few inches. He lightly shook his arm to wave at Brodie, and his arm fell to the floor, going completely limp. Brodie waved back, and began to cry. He walked along the platform and disappeared from Raffs’ view. 

Raffs… Was happy. Brodie was going to come back, he was just going to get help. It was nice to know that at least someone still cared for him. Someone still loved him. As the mold creeped up his neck, the images of him and Brodie sitting in the crew lounge came back. Brodie kept telling him how much of a good lad he was. Raffs took another sip of hot cocoa. It felt good in the cold, numbing air. It was sweet, and it filled his chest with a warm feeling. 

“Raffs, I wouldnae ever leave you. You know that, right?”

He tried to speak, but couldn’t. All he could do was look at Brodie with crying eyes. It began to rain heavily now. The water only made the stuff grow faster. As time went on, the hallucination became more and more distorted. Brodie stopped talking and the crew lounge began to shift and turn. The screen became static and the table disappeared. Eventually, there was no more crew lounge, just Raffs and Brodie sitting on the couch in silence. Brodie turned to Raffs one last time.

“I’m sorry, Owen.. It’s.. It’s time to l- let g…oo…” 

Then Brodie and the couch faded away.. It was growing increasingly inevitable to Raffs at this point. He didn’t want to think about it. But he knew it was true. It was okay, nonetheless, maybe.. Maybe this was for the better. Raffs closed his eyes once more, and smiled. Raffs shed a tear. It rolled down his cheek, onto his chest, hrough the grate. Then it was just another drop in the rainstorm. 

The rig shook over and over, and Raffs didn’t mind how increasingly unstable it was becoming. As long as Brodie was alright. He kept hearing Brodie’s voice from earlier repeating over and over in his head. It was comforting to him. Even if he wasn’t there with him. 

When the rig shook once more and the metal screeched, the pipes fell and the lights flickered. Raffs was happy. 

When the beams buckled and the screws broke, the ropes snapped and the deck tilted. Raffs was happy. 

When the cold air rushed past him, when he was just another drop in the rainstorm, he was finally free. As long as Brodie was fine, as long as he made it.. 

Raffs was happy.